


The Color of Your Smile

by MagpieWords



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Artist Steve Rogers, Childhood Friends, Eventual Happy Ending, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-05 02:26:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12181083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpieWords/pseuds/MagpieWords
Summary: They were lucky, to meet their soul mates so young. They'd get to spend a lifetime together, instead of a lifetime wondering. If only they had managed to get each others' names.





	The Color of Your Smile

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Cap IM Tiny RB Round 8: Prime](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11847531) by [DragonK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonK/pseuds/DragonK). 



> oooh man I am late to posting this. I had the first half of this drafted last month, but never posted in time for that week. Then I was going to get it up yesterday for Amnesty Week but, ah well.  
>   
> This is my first soul mate au, so enjoy!

Tony only had one memory of his mother truly smiling. Not her blinding press smile that she taught him to wear like armor, stronger than anything Howard could build. No, this smile was soft and small and a little bit crooked on the left side. He was four when he saw it, the memory in muted colors but still clear through the years. Her eyes had looked far away, misting over as she told him about the wonders of soul mates.

She was running her fingers on his neck as she talked, over the shimming mark that reminded him of stars. “When your true love is near, this mark will fill you with warmth. You’ll shake her hand and the world will burst into color.” The words were full of emotion, but sounded rehearsed, like how Jarvis used to read him books before bedtime. “At least that’s what I’ve been told.”

Her expression turned brittle as she wiped her eye. Her smile was too wide now, too perfect. She ruffled his hair without looking at him and left without another word. Tony had been so enamored with her fleeting smile that he didn’t think about what she said until later. It started as a theory, but he got his proof a few days later when he overheard Jarvis quietly tell Howard that navy slacks might be better suited with brown shoes instead of blue. His parents still saw the world in grays.

“Not everyone has a soul mark.” Jarvis told him two years later, in the quiet of the kitchen. Summer was nearly at its end and Tony was eager to be free of a house that was only ever silent or screaming. His curiosity about the mark on his neck had only grown. He read any book he could on get his hands on, though they were few and far between. Howard only ever spoke in facts, so Tony had to hide the stories of romance and unscientific fate he would sneak in from the library. Maria never spoke of soul mates again. She didn’t really speak to Tony much at all anymore. And the young Stark heir was rarely alone with his butler long enough to talk about the questions he needed answers to. Howard did enough talking for all of them anyway.

If Howard did have a soul mate, Tony often joked to himself, it’d be the workshop. His father only left the lab if his hand was in a fist or fisted around a glass of scotch on his way to a board meeting. So Tony was understandably confused to see both his absentee parents waiting for him in the foyer. Maria didn’t seem to notice him, too busy fixing her make up in a compact, but that was normal. Howard didn’t look angry, didn’t have a drink in his hand, and that was very not normal. Instead, he had a tie in his hand. He actually knelt to Tony’s level and began to fasten the tie around the collar of his son’s shirt. That brought the situation from not normal to _weird_.

Tony looked to Jarvis for answers. The butler was supposed to be taking him to his first day of private school. It was only an orientation, just an hour of parents asking questions and teachers giving answers, but it’d be an hour out of the house, so he was eager to go. Instead, Jarvis was frowning at something else. Either the tie Howard was fixing didn’t match Tony’s shirt or Maria’s concealer didn’t match her skin tone. Probably both, but the butler didn’t seem inclined to say anything about it.

“You keep this fixed proper, understand?” Howard pulled the knot of the tie a little too tight. His eye contact was terrifying. It was more attention in a few seconds than either parent had paid him in the past six years combined. “No one is ever going to see that damn mark.”

Tony only nodded, unable to speak, though from the strangling tie or the piercing gaze, he wasn’t sure. Howard grunted in response but seemed satisfied enough to drop his hold on the tie and head back to his workshop. Jarvis led the way to the car and Maria followed, sliding into the back seat with Tony. The drive was silent. When Jarvis turned to the drop off point instead of the parking lot, Tony bit back a sigh. Going with Maria wasn’t ideal, but it was better than going with Howard.

The school was buzzing with noise, but it was a pleasant kind of loud. It was full of more people than Tony had ever met. He found himself grinning as he walked in ahead of Maria. His neck felt warm under the tie, but he was sure it was just excitement. They took two seats in the front of the classroom as a young instructor started lecturing about the curriculum. Tony wasn’t really listening; whatever they would teach here, he’d probably already taught himself with the books from the library or the blueprints he’d steal from Howard’s lab. He knew how engines worked, he knew how to build a circuit board. The only thing left to learn was how to manage a board meeting and he’d be ready for his future. School wasn’t about his future or his ‘growth potential’ like the instructor kept saying. School was about getting out of the house for eight hours a day and finally making friends.

With Maria next to him, he couldn’t turn around to see any of the future friends he might find in the classroom. Even if he could, it was hard to focus on anything with how hot his neck was. He glanced at his mother but her eyes were fixed on a magazine she didn’t bother pretending to hide. It’s not like the instructor would be inclined to do anything – this school was practically begging to have the Stark name on its alumni list.

Lack any forthcoming consequences, Tony loosened the knot at his neck. Just a little, hardly enough to have his mark be seen, just enough to give it a little air. But it wasn’t enough, it only got hotter. There was movement behind him, but all he could think about was pulling at the tie. The fabric was nearly around his collarbone now, but everything was still too warm. It wasn’t a burning, it wasn’t painful, but it was urgent. He looked to his mother again, on the verge of asking about it, but she wouldn’t have the answers to this. And she certainly wouldn’t appreciate the interruption to her magazine reading.

Without thinking about it, his fingers traced over the spot. Like lightning in a bottle, the mark seemed to come alive under his touch. He bit back a gasp, just barely keeping silent. Behind him, someone else wasn’t so lucky. He turned to the source of the noise behind him, and this time he couldn’t hold back his noise of surprise as warmth radiated from his heart.

A scrawny, light haired boy was staring at him. They stared at each other, the boy with a hand frozen over his chest. Everything Tony had read seemed to rush through his mind, a jumble of different stories of people meeting their –

He glanced back to Maria, careful to make sure he hadn’t noticed him turn. She hadn’t, and the instructor didn’t seem inclined to do anything about a few children not paying attention to a Q&A more directed at the people writing the checks than the students attending the classes. When Tony turned back to look at the beautiful boy again, he was gone. It was hard to fight the disappointment, but Tony slid back to face forward in his seat again. If the boy was in this orientation, he’d probably be in Tony’s class. They’d see each other again.

* * *

Steve was small, that was an understatement. His shirts were always too baggy, his pants only just held on with the hand-me-down belts his mother was able to get from Mrs. Barnes as Bucky outgrew them. He didn’t mind his size though. He could sneak into all the best spots for hide and sneak, always got extra stickers with his multiple trips to the doctors, and hugs were better when you were small, that was a fact. Most of the time, he didn’t even notice his size. He still fought bullies who lingered by the dumpsters behind their apartment complex, still was able to lift Bucky up in order to sneak cookies from the Mrs. Barnes's kitchen counter before they had cooled.

He only really noticed his size when he caught his reflection in the evening as he brushed his teeth. In just his pajama pants – their A/C always broke just when August was reaching its peak – his soul mark was unavoidable to look at. It seemed to sparkle in the flickering light of the small bathroom. It covered his whole chest, radiating from the center like a star trapped in his heart.

“Your other half will be full of love.” His mother told him, just as she did every night because Steve asked the same questions every night. He always loved when she smiled, but it was something special when she talked about soul mates. “They say soul marks show the most important part of your soul mate’s life. You’re very lucky, Stevie.”

“Do you think I’ll meet them at school tomorrow?”

“Maybe. But even if you don’t, know you are already surrounded by love.” She kissed his forehead, just like she did every night.

“I know, Ma, but do you think – “

“Stevie.” She paused in the doorframe, hand just above the light switch. “This scholarship is a big deal. I know finding your soul mate is exciting, but your studies come first.”

Steve nodded. She was right, he knew that, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Sleep was hard to find with so much excitement on the horizon, but the morning came and blurred past. They were walking through the hallways of the fancy private school on Long Island and the only person more excited than Steve was his mom.

“A full scholarship to somewhere like this. I still can’t believe it.” She gushed, positive that public schools back in Brooklyn didn’t even have orientations, let alone one like this.

“What color is that one? Is it red?” Steve asked, quizzing himself for the third time since they walked in the building. He hadn’t seen this many shades of gray hung in frames on the wall since they visited the MoMA last month.

“Close, sweetie, it’s orange. Honey, no one expects you to see colors yet. You got this scholarship because you are already an amazing artist.”

“I want to be the best.”

“You will, Stevie, just be patient.”

“I hate waiting.” He grumbled, absently pressing his palm to his chest. “Mom, is it supposed to get warm like this?”

Sarah stopped outside the classroom, pulling Steve to the side as the other parents and students walked in. “You feeling okay? If you think the dust allergens here are too much, we can – “

“No, no it’s not like that. It’s a good warm. I think…” He grinned up at her, “I think it’s my soul mark. Mom, I knew it, I knew I wouldn’t have to wait!”

Sarah returned the smile, but it was hesitant. She opened her mouth to speak when her pager buzzed at her hip. “Not now…” She looked at the device, frown growing, “I’m so sorry, baby, there’s an emergency at the hospital.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. Go save lives, I got this.” Steve put his hands on his hips, still grinning at her. “I’ll tell you all about my soul mate when you come back.”

“And about the school too, please. You really don’t have to meet your soul mate to be a great artist, there’s never going to be a rush, baby. And if you need anything – “

“Mom, go,” He dragged out the syllable as he pushed her. Of course he didn’t want her to leave, but sometimes heroes had to leave. All that mattered is that she always came back. She seemed reluctant, but went down the hall. Steve slipped in the classroom as the last of the families were finding their seats. There weren’t many spots left, but as he started one way, his chest felt colder.

Without his mom here, he wouldn’t have to wait. As the instructor began, seeming not to notice him, Steve snuck around the room. He moved from chair to chair as his heart seemed to radiate heat. Finally, he was seated right behind a short boy with dark hair and a mark on his neck. Steve’s neck tingled and he knew he’d found his soul mate. They stared at each other, silent as the instructor droned on in the background. But they didn’t need to talk, they’d have a lifetime for that. Now, he just needed to be close, needed to see the colors he could feel just out of his line of sight. Steve snuck forward, footfalls nearly silent, and took the empty chair next to his soul mate.

His soul mate didn’t notice at first, then jumped when he did. Steve gave a sheepish grin; so much for first impressions. But the other boy smiled back, just on the edge of shy. Steve offered a small wave as a form of introduction and the boy grinned more. He didn’t wave back, but he never broke Steve’s gaze. The longer they looked at each other, the less Steve cared about seeing colors. He suddenly felt like he could wait forever in this frozen moment, if he had to, inches away from the person who was his other half. At the same time, he couldn’t bare a second more for the very same reason. Distantly, he could hear the instructor finishing the orientation, could hear the elegant woman seated next to his soul mate gathering her things. The eternal moment was coming to an end and Steve couldn’t bring himself to do anything. He was going to miss it, what he’d been waiting for every day since his mom first explained what soul mates were. It was okay though. He could wait for the colors, just seeing his soul mate felt like enough.

At the last second, with people getting up to leave around them, his shy soul mate made the final move. Slender fingers slid across the plastic chairs they sat on, reaching and grabbing Steve’s hand.

The world burst around them, movement slowing down and speeding up all at once. The lights above were too bright, bathing the room in a golden hue. Everything was full of color, but Steve couldn’t look away from the other boy’s amber eyes. Amber, brown, the red of his shirt, everything had colors and yet Steve wanted nothing more than to stare at this one person. Warmth flooded every sense, soothing the burn from their soul marks. Steve didn’t even know the other boys’ name, but he felt like he knew everything that mattered about him.

He didn’t notice the elegant woman grab his soul mate’s arm until their grip was pulled apart. Their arms were outstretched, reaching for each other until the other boy was gone and Steve was left alone in the classroom.

“Young man?” The instructor got his attention. Her dress was too yellow. “Is your parent here?”

“Uh, yeah she…” Steve tried to stand. The world felt cold without his soul mate nearby. “She’s just outside.”

The instructor nodded and Steve made his way out to the drop off lane. He sat on the curb, waiting only for a minute or two before his mom arrived. She took his hand, leading the way to the parking lot. She seemed to notice his odd silence, but wasn’t inclined to comment on it.

“So you liked the school?” She prompted, “Everyone seem nice?”

“Oh yeah, I think it’ll be a good fit.”

Sarah tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at her son before reaching for her keys. Stevie never wasted a chance to share something new, and even if he hadn’t met his soul mate like he wanted to, surely something exciting would have happened. The way he looked though, jaw tight as he fought down a smile, he was planning something, she was sure of it.

“Oh wow, Ma, the car,” He said, seemingly out of nowhere as they approached the old Subaru, “it really needs a wash. I can hardly see the green paint.”

“Well excuse me, Steven, you find time for a carwash when you’ve got twelve hour shifts and the world’s smallest troublemaker to chase.” They both opened their doors, but she paused before getting in. “Wait.”

“It is green, isn’t it? I mean, not as green as the trees or the grass, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a dark gray.” His faux causal tone was lost as his grin all but split his face.

“Stevie, did you really –” She couldn’t finish her sentence, too busy hugging her son as they both screamed with joy.

“Oh sweetie, that’s amazing. I can’t wait to meet...?”

Steve just laughed. “I don’t even know his name! But he’s amazing, Ma, just wait. Oh man, Bucky’s going to be so jealous!”

Sarah laughed with her son as they both finally got in the car. They wouldn’t have the money for a proper soul mate celebration, she honestly wasn’t planning for her son to find his match so soon, but they’d get by.

Sarah had only heard Steve whisper maybe once or twice in his six years on earth, but as they drove, she could have sworn she heard him say “I can’t wait to see him again.”

* * *

It was weird even thinking it, knowing he had a soul mate. The word was as good as banned from the Stark house, something that wasn’t supposed to happen to Tony for years, if at all. And yet, the boy was real and Tony would have the luxury of growing up with him. Most soul mates weren’t that lucky. He’d read tragedies of soul mates meeting on their death bed, or being kept apart by wars and feuds. It hurt to be apart, it hurt to not know his name, but they’d see each other as soon as school started. A week was wroth the wait. That thought kept him grinning as they drove home in silence. Without those blinding blue eyes to hold his attention - blue eyes that had perfectly matched that shirt, did the other boy know they had matched so well? Tony hadn't imagined colors would be this amazing – without that distraction, Tony looked to the rest of the world that was now filled with color. Signs and lights and every fabric of the people walking by were breathtaking. Trees were almost painfully green. Even the dusty black of the pavement was a new kind of enchanting. He knew his future was set, but with all the colors in the world, Tony almost wished he’d be able to study photography because he wanted to save every second of what he was seeing.

When they got home, Jarvis looked so warm against the pressed lines of his truly black suit. Had he always worn ties of that color? Surely Howard would have wanted standard black to match the suit, but it’s not like the master of the house would have been able to tell. Glancing at his own tie, the colors clashed terribly with the sharp red of his shirt. Tony could barely conceal a giggle; he and Jarvis had always shared secrets but now they could literally wear them on their sleeves.

“What the – I told you to do one thing, Anthony!” Reality shocked back in and, for a moment, it felt like all the colors drained around him. Howard hadn’t been waiting at the door, had just happened to pass by with amber liquid sloshing in a glass on his way back to the workshop. His face was so red, so dark.

“Can’t even do one goddamn thing.” His father yanked at the tie, seemed unbothered by the way his son jerked back. “You have to keep this mark covered, boy. If any bitch can see it, any bitch can trick you into thinking your fated or whatever other lies you keep reading. Don’t think I don’t know about that shit you sneak home from the library, Anthony. It’s garbage filling your head and I wont have you ruin the family name with some scandal when a woman tricks you into thinking she loves you. There’s not such thing as true love, no such thing as fate. This thing,” He tugged up Tony’s collar, nearly lifting the boy off the ground, “is a goddamn curse, you understand me?”

“But Dad – “

“But nothing.” Howard all but dropped him and Tony stumbled to keep his feet under him.

“Dad, you’re wrong.” He didn’t know why he said that, didn’t know why he picked now to fight back. Now when Howard had a glass in his hands and everything was still so new and bright. Now when he had something so important that he couldn't stand to lose a fight over. “I don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

Much to Tony’s surprise, Howard laughed. “I’m wrong?” He laughed again, a terrible and bitter sound. “Why’s that? Think you’re too smart to fall for what every man has always fallen for? Think you’re better than your old man? Think you’re so goddamn special?” Howard was shouting now, echoing in the cavernous foyer.

Maybe it was seeing how the stripes on Howard’s shirt clashed, or maybe it was still the leftover rush of courage and comfort and joy from even thinking about his soul mate, but for some stupid reason, Tony didn’t back down.

“I already know who my soul mate is. I wont be tricked by someone else.  I know who he is.”

Howard was already walking away before Tony had started talking, but stopped at the last two words. “You what?”

“I –” Tony wished he could stop, but it was too late now. The room seemed to spin with too many colors. “I met my soul mate today. I can see colors now. And he – “

“You can’t see shit. Maria, what sort of hack school did you take our son to?”

“You picked the damn school, Howard, don’t pin this on me.”

“I wont have some hippie institute turn our son into a – “

The yelling only grew louder and that made the colors blur. His tie was too tight, just the knowledge of it resting against his blood red shirt felt wrong. His soul mark was so cold. He stumbled back, only to have Jarvis catch him and carry him away from the fight.

The kitchen was soft yellow walls and the noise from the foyer faded into the background. Jarvis was silent, letting the young master sit on the kitchen counter as he prepared a sandwich for the clearly distraught boy. “What color is my tie?” He asked, finally breaking the silence as he placed the finished lunch on the counter.

“Violet.” Tony whispered, leaving the food untouched as Jarvis untied the knot at the boy’s throat. “I like it.”

“As do I, young sir.” The butler smiled back at him. “Now, tell me about this soul mate of yours. I hope he’s been a proper gentleman to you at your first meeting.”

Tony grinned. There wasn’t much to tell, but he told it all as he ate the sandwich.

There would be no soul mate celebration at the Stark manor. The word was once again forbidden, silenced with a sharp look or a sharp slap. Both methods were efficient in keeping Tony's mouth shut. Howard announced the next day at dinner that the family would be moving to the estate in California. It had been a look that silenced Tony that time. Each time he asked about going back to New York, just for a visit, or as he got older and bolder, demanding to go back to find his soul mate, Howard was more inclined to use the second method of silencing.

The years passed and without a name to search for, Tony began to lose hope. By the time the internet was rolling out as the Stark heir was rolling out to Cal Tech, he had already given up searching. All he had was the memory of a six-year-old boy with impossible blue eyes and soft blond hair, and he was left with all the colors in the world. The secret stayed between him and Jarvis, the two using different colored slips of paper to convey messages. The secret spread a year after James Rhodes had entered Tony’s life. His roommate and best friend came home to their dorm with a bouquet of flowers, nearly dancing through the door.

“I met her! She’s perfect and look at these roses! Tony, I know you can’t see it but they’re so red it hurts!” He laughed and Tony smiled at the sound, but the smile was too perfect. Rhodey knew him by now, could read him like a book within their first weeks together. “I’m sorry, man, I know you haven’t found your mate yet, but you will, someday. Colors aren’t even that great.”

“Bullshit.” Tony snorted, smile turning genuine. “Colors _are_ even that great and we both know it.”

“What?”

He didn’t tell the whole story, couldn't bring himself to dredge up the ancient memories that were still so crystal clear. If he gave voice to them, they’d be too real, too painful. Instead he just tapped on the mark on his neck, that had faded into a brilliant and still sparkling maroon, and claimed that fate was keeping his soul mate apart from him.

"It doesn't even matter, I don't even know who he is."

“Tony, buddy, that’s rough.”

Tony had only shrugged. It was, but he never wanted to admit that to himself. He’d been lucky to meet his soul mate even once, he kept reminding himself.

Rough was when his parents died and they took Jarvis with them. Rough was running a company as a puppet for Obie while falling head first into the nearest bottle or body he could find.

Really rough was getting taken prisoner in Afghanistan. Yinsen had taken one look at his faded but still sparkling mark and known. “You have someone waiting for you to come home.” He said. Tony shook his head but Yinsen pressed on. “You do. And they don’t want you to die in this cave.”

He’d have given anything for a too tight tie to hide with. The water had been easy compared to the agony of hot steel against the mark on his neck. When he refused to build their missile, they carved the mark off of him, leaving an ugly gray scar. He built Iron Man, burned them all into the ground and left his last connection to his soul mate in the desert.

Rhodey didn’t say anything when he saw the scar. If Tony thought he felt it heat up, he knew it was just wishful thinking. There was no such thing as true love for Starks. It was too late to see his soul mate again.

* * *

Steve had to wait a full week before school had started. He was surprisingly patient, much to Sarah’s surprise. He told Bucky every detail, chattered about his soul mate every waking moment, but didn’t press to find him. He known he’d see the boy in class.

When class finally came, the boy wasn’t here. Steve’s soul mark was cold and he bit down the disappointment. Maybe he was sick that day. But the next day, there was nothing, only ice to keep his heart company. He skipped class the third day, hoping to search the school and see if the boy was maybe in a different class. Each hallway he traveled, only ice greeted him.

He sobbed to his mom, sobbed to Bucky and Mrs. Barnes and to the whole neighborhood. His soul mate was gone and without a name there was nothing he could do.

“Oh baby, I know, I know. But the universe brought you together once, it’ll bring you together again.” Sarah had said on the fourth day, when Steve had stayed home from school completely.

“I just have to be patient?” He asked, looking up at her through bleary eyes. She nodded and, with grim determination, he nodded too. He could wait, would willingly wait a lifetime just to see that boy again.

“And while you do, your soul mate would want you to take advantage of the opportunity you have.” His mom had said.

After that, he threw himself in his studies. Mastered the arts they taught and passed the classes even for the subjects he didn’t like. One scholarship grew into another and he earned a full ride to NYU. His art only grew, galleries featured painting after painting of a dark haired boy with amber eyes aging through the years how Steve imagined his soul mate would grow. He painted other things too, capturing every nuance of color with the blessing his soul mate gave him that he refused to waste. At thirty, they honored him, with a medal of all things, at a MoMA exhibit opening. The medal went on crooked at first, hit his neck right on the spot where his soul mate’s mark was. This must be his defining moment. He hoped his soul mate was as proud as he felt.

Years later, that same spot burned with a fire. It was nothing like the urgency of that day in orientation. This was pain, raw and horrible and Steve bit down the panic of his soul mate in danger. His ma, rest her soul, had never told him what he’d feel if his soul mate died. He had never been brave enough to ask her. He prayed this wasn’t what it felt like, but knew it was too late to do anything about it.

It wasn’t too late when, six months later, Bucky went missing. He knew his life long friend had been in a dangerous section of the military, but details were too confidential even for near brothers to share. The only information he got was that ‘Sargent Barnes will not be returning home for an indefinite amount of time. We are so very sorry for your loss.’

Mrs. Barnes, rest her soul, would have been a wreck. Steve wasn’t much better, but this time, he couldn't afford to wait. He followed every lead he could, back through miles of underground government secrets and directly into the lab of a Dr. Abraham Erskine. He felt scrawny, standing in front of the military men, signing papers before stepping into a machine that looked straight out of the future. The first needle of the serum injection pierced his skin just at the edge of his neck, right where his soul mate’s mark was. This, he realized while screaming through the pain, must be his defining moment. He tried not to be disappointed, but if you asked Steve, he thought the MoMA gallery was more impressive.

Not to be mistaken, the muscles he earned were impressive in their own right. Still, his soul mark occupied most of his newly expansive chest. Dr. Erskine didn’t comment on it, not that he had time to comment on much before Steve went from a lab rat directly into the line of fire. The military sent him after Barnes and there was whispers of corrupt organizations, aliens, and glowing cubes. Steve was just happy to have his Bucky back, even if there were pieces of him missing. He joked about Bucky’s new red star, earning him a playful punch and a “I don’t think the assholes that broke me had your artsy soul mate vision when they designed this” comment.

“Does it look bad?” Bucky had asked another day, glancing at the star. “I can’t even really see it. The red, I think that’s what the report said it was, is it too bright?”

Steve shook his head. “It’s actually my favorite color.”

They’d only spent a few days in Steve’s Brooklyn loft before something called Shield was saying something about a team. Bucky had shrugged, figuring they had nothing to lose now that Steve was, in Bucky's words, "a beefcake".

The helicarrier was a thing of absolute beauty, but Steve wondered if the temperature controls were off. Since the serum, he always ran a little hot, but this was different. The warmth was persistent, but he couldn’t place it. They gathered with a team of sorts on the bridge, a red haired woman, a man who could have been from a renaissance fair, and a shy looking doctor. Steve greeted them all in turn, he and Bucky taking two empty chairs at the large table while waiting for the final spot to be filled.

That’s when he walked in. There was blue light coming from his shirt. It was distracting and seemed to make the room swelter. None of the other assembled heroes seemed bothered by it.

“Stevie, what’s wrong?” Buck whispered as the mystery man talked to an agent in a crisp suit.

“It’s just so damn blue.” Steve absently pressed a palm to his chest, but he seemed to have gotten the other man’s attention.

“Only as blue as your ridiculous shirt, Cap.” He popped the ‘p’, seeming to mock the title that had been thrown on Steve. Clearly, the man had been briefed on the new team, and Steve wished he had the luxury to put names to all the new faces. He hated not knowing people’s names. He stood from his seat, heat of the room putting him on edge, but the man held out a hand instead of teasing further. “Your soul mate must be very lucky.”

He hesitated, taking a moment to look the other man over. His amber eyes seemed familiar and genuine. Above all, they were curious, which made Steve curious as well. He took the offered hand the urgent warmth melted into a comfort he had only felt once.

“So is yours.” The room seemed to disappear around them. It was then that Steve noticed the mark on the other man’s neck, in the same spot as the one he put in every painting, even if the color was different now.

“Long time no see." His smile was perfect, too wide and just a little crooked on the left side. His paintings never did this man justice. "My name's Tony, by they way. I think we skipped that step last time."

"I'm Steve. And I don't think I'll be able to wait thirty years before seeing you again."


End file.
